Oben CT-2410 Tripod Review

This is a review of the Oben CT 2410 4-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod with BA-1 Ball Head. As photographers, a sharp photo usually means a steady camera. Regardless of what you photograph, I think every photographer will eventually need a tripod at some point. Personally, I don’t use a tripod for any of my portrait work, but I have found them to be useful when shooting wedding details inside of a dark reception hall. Additionally, I tend to use a tripod if I’m photographing any products or even occasionally when I’m shooting personal work around the city or in the mountains. Since I don’t use a tripod that often, I prefer a smaller, lighter tripod that’s easy to take with me and doesn’t take up much room. Sometimes the trade off for a small and light tripod is a lack of stability or durability. Would this tripod be able to deliver on both size and performance?

Other Features – Etched degree markings on the base of the head for precise camera rotation – Notch for exact 90-degree camera tilt to portrait orientation – Four levels (one spirit) to help ensure a level camera – Rubberized quick-release plate surface

2) Packaging and Field Use

The Oben CT-2410 tripod comes packaged in an attractive grey box. The BA-1 ball head comes packed in a separate but matching box. The tripod comes with a nice carrying bag. It comes with a shoulder strap, has an inside storage pocket, heavy duty zippers and has a sleek look to it. It’s also big enough to fit the tripod with the head attached.

NIKON D7000 + 50mm f/1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 200, 1/200, f/7.1

NIKON D7000 + 50mm f/1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 200, 1/200, f/7.1

Although this tripod is quite compact and small when it is first taken out of the box, it extends to a very usable height once the legs are extended. The stance of this tripod is narrower than many tripods I’ve used in the past. I really like the fact that the footprint of this tripod is relatively small, which means it’s less likely to get kicked or bumped if you’re shooting around other people.

This tripod uses twist locks to adjust the length of the legs. Because it’s a 4-section tripod, there are three locks per leg to adjust. The locks twist and lock quite easily. Personally, I prefer flip locks to twist locks because they seem quicker to use, but I have no issues with these twist locks. One thing that I did notice when adjusting the legs is that they don’t have any kind of markings on them to help you to adjust all of the legs to the same length. If you typically shoot on uneven ground, this isn’t a big deal, but if you’re always shooting on level ground, this can make setup faster and easier.

NIKON D7000 + 50mm f/1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 200, 1/200, f/7.1

The tripod is quite tall when the legs are fully extended. If you still need more height, the center column extends, adding an additional 10 inches of height to the tripod. Fortunately, the center column is quite stable when it is fully extended, although you’ll still want to be sure to use a remote or timer to minimize any risk of camera shake.

NIKON D7000 + 50mm f/1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 200, 1/200, f/7.1

The Oben BA-1 ball head comes with this kit. This head feels very well made and seems to be very sturdy. Fortunately, it is not a huge head so it doesn’t add a lot of additional bulk or weight.

This ball head comes with a quick release plate. The ball head itself has a good feel to it. There is only one knob that loosens and tightens the ball. It’s movement is very smooth. During all of my testing I never felt like the ball was loose at any time. Once I got my camera into the position I wanted it, it wasn’t going anywhere (even with a 70-200 f/2.8 lens attached). Unfortunately, it was very difficult to tighten the quick release plate enough to keep the camera from drifting while I was shooting in portrait mode. The weight of the lens made the camera pivot on the quick release plate screw.

NIKON D7000 + 50mm f/1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 200, 1/200, f/7.1

NIKON D7000 + 50mm f/1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 200, 1/200, f/7.1

In addition to the ball head’s full range of tilting motion, it also offers a panning motion. Unfortunately, there is no separate lock for the head rotation so you can’t “pan” with the camera without loosening the ball head as well. This means there is no option to use the head as a fluid head replacement while shooting video.

Another thing that I found useful was the presence of 5 bubble levels. The tripod has a spirit level on top of it’s legs and the head has four levels, one spirit level on the top plate where the camera mounts and three on the sides so that regardless of if you’re shooting in portrait or landscape mode you can get your camera level. The level on the tripod is also useful for making sure the tripod is level.

If you prefer to change the stance of the tripod, the legs are adjustable, allowing you to spread them very far apart and get a low, stable stance. Simply lift the locking mechanism on top of each leg, pull the legs to the desired location and re-lock them. They automatically latch into one of three preset positions.

NIKON D7000 + 50mm f/1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 200, 1/200, f/7.1

NIKON D7000 + 50mm f/1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 200, 1/200, f/7.1

If you are shooting on terrain where you need the tripod to dig in, each foot has a retractable spike. Just twist each foot and a metal spike will extend. Now when you put your tripod on wet grass or some other unstable surface, you’ll get more traction (and hopefully get the shot). If you need even more stability, there is a hook at the bottom of the center column that you can hook a weight to.

NIKON D7000 + 50mm f/1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 200, 1/200, f/7.1

NIKON D7000 + 50mm f/1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 200, 1/200, f/7.1

I also compared the CT-2410 to the CC-2320 (read my review here). Major differences are the center column, the overall size and weight and the leg locks. Personally, I prefer the size and weight of the CT-2410 but the leg locks of the CC-2320. I don’t have a strong preference for the center column on either one, but since I don’t really need the lateral center column on the CC-2320, I think I’d save the money (and weight) and go with the CT-2410. In the photos below, you can see the difference in size, both while collapsed and extended.

NIKON D7000 + 50mm f/1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 200, 1/200, f/7.1

NIKON D7000 + 50mm f/1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 200, 1/200, f/7.1

NIKON D7000 + 50mm f/1.4 @ 50mm, ISO 200, 1/200, f/7.1

3) Summary

The Oben CT-2410 Tripod with BA-1 Ball Head is a very nice combination. The ball head is secure and pleasant to use. It only has one knob to control everything, which keeps things simple. The tripod seems to be very well made and is easy to use. It is small and lightweight yet tall enough to use without having to bend over (at least for an average sized person). I personally would prefer to have flip locks instead of twist locks on the legs, but considering that is about the only complaint I have about this tripod, I’d say it’s a pretty good tripod. It might be a bit pricey for some, but well-made, small and lightweight tripods will never come cheap.

Related articles:

About John Bosley

John Bosley is a wedding and portrait photographer in San Francisco who loves creating authentic, emotional images with his clients. He has a soft spot for functional antiques. You might see him writing with a fountain pen from his collection or shooting with one of his many film cameras. You can view his work on his website or see what he’s been up to lately on Instagram.

Reader Interactions

Comments

1) Murali Krishna

March 27, 2013 at 11:15 pm

Nice Review. This tripod combo is same as Benro A2980T with Benro BH-2 Ball head. Three differences I can notice is 1. Center column is easily repositioned from vertical to horizontal functioning as a cross-bar with angle adjustment flexibility, 2. It supports 10Kg and 3. Its a Alluminium tripod

Hi Murali Krishna – I assume you’re familiar with Benro products. I live in Asia (Vietnam) and it’s hard to find anything else. So far I’ve been reluctant to try, but I need a carbon fibre very stable tripod and Benro, at least on paper, seems to fit the bill.

The model seems to be C2182TB1 – what do you think ? Is anybody familiar with Benro products?

Right now I’m using the Manfrotto 190XPROB with 496RC2 ballhead, but it’s heavy and a bit unwieldy – I’d like something more stable and lighter (I travel by motorbike). My last question – is Oben suitable for the d800? Optimally, I’d go for RSS stuff, but it’s a bit expensive for me at the moment and I’d would have to pay 30% (customs + tax) and shipping (which is usually rather expensive to Vietnam).

Hi Molnarcs. I’ve had a carbon fibre Benro monopod for many years and it has held up extremely well. The only thing I’ve had go wrong with Benro was the twist grips for the legs … the glue on the rubber grip dries up and comes loose. However, you can fix that with a bit of crazy glue in a minute and the problem is resolved. I’ve also read positive review about Benro so personally I wouldn’t hesititate to buy it. I’ve also heard the nicest tripods available today are from RSS but there is a significant price difference also. I know about your import taxes also. It’s too bad they can make your purchases so expensive. My wife is originally from Nha Trang and we go there every year to visit her family.

I was also going to say that from your web link, it looks like the Benro uses an arca swiss style of plate on the tripod head. I had the Manfrotto type originally and switched to arca swiss (kirk) many years ago. It’s a lot better system in my view and likely compatible with rss or kirk accessories, but of course everyone has their preferences.

Hi John, It’s been a long time since your last article. For me, $383 for a tripod isn’t cheap, but it is cheap if I compare it with Gitzo. I’m a casual photographer and live on a tropical country. In term of build quality, feature, and durability, do you think this tripod is a better option for me than Gitzo with comparable spec ?

Hi Johny, To be honest, I can’t speak about how a tripod will hold up in a tropical country since I live and work in Colorado. I will say that Gitzo is known for making high quality tripods, including models that are all-weather and can even survive use in the ocean. Of course, if you don’t have such extreme needs and are a casual photographer, I would assume that the Oben will give you years of service for about half the price of a Gitzo.

Hi John, Thanks for the article. There’s such a plethora of tripods around that it’s very difficult to choose the right one. For camera accessories it’s fairly easy as most are made to fit the particular camera system one is using. Tripods, however are more ‘general purpose’ and ‘one size fits all’. In the previous article on choosing tripods it’s mentioned that those without a centre column are more stable – which is, I think, fairly obvious and confirms my own findings. However finding these tripods is not such an easy matter. Do you perhaps have acess to a list of suitable tripods in the ‘affordable’ range – say ±$300 for legs only? Online websites don’t make this information at all readily accessible (one has to open each product page to see if there’s a centre column or not). Best regards,

Hi AJ – Thanks for reading! The tripod choices that are out there are overwhelming. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any type of “finder” that would let you know which ones have or don’t have center columns. Sorry can’t help, but best of luck finding the right tripod for you!

Comment Policy: Although our team at Photography Life encourages all readers to actively participate in discussions, we reserve the right to delete / modify any content that does not comply with our Code of Conduct, or do not meet the high editorial standards of the published material.